1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sealing profile for use in a clamp in order to clamp parts in the clamp and thereby seal all cavities or gaps.
2. Description of the Related Art
In particular in the food industry or food processing industry, single production or processing steps can have different requirements for the hygienic design of plants. Non-hygienic constructions can increase the risk of a contamination by microorganisms, as well as the introduction of contaminations, for example from food from a former processing step, which has been performed in the same plant. The basic principle of the hygienic design is, however, that all equipment or plant parts cannot be polluted via an increase in the concentration of microorganisms, dirt, insects, other vermin or other contaminations, which can often accumulate in recesses, gaps, slits, holes, dead volumes and exposed threads.
Plants and parts of plants in the food industry often comprise clamp connections. In this way, profiles made of pipe or full material are connected or fixed with clamp connections. It has to be possible to move clamp connections along the profiles without steps, if they are not in the tensioned state. Different embodiments of clamp connections are known. A common clamp connection can be performed by a metal part with clamping means for clamping of clamped parts. The clamping occurs via tightening of a screw between two clamping sections of a clamp connection means. In a part of a plant, multiple clamping means can be present, for example in a cross-clamp. To perform a force-locking clamping, a clamping slit must be present between the clamping sections of the clamp connection means, and the clamping sections must be connected via a screw and must be clampable, to perform a clamping or to release it. If the screw, which connects both clamping sections, is tightened, the clamping slit between both opposing clamping sections will become narrower, whereby the clamping of the clamped part is performed.
If a cross-clamp is mounted, double areas metal/metal, which are not sealed, and cavities and depressions (e.g. the clamping slit) are present. Those are only very deficiently cleanable. A self-induced draining of adhering liquids, e.g. via condensation of production remainders, is also not possible.
Such a part therefore comprises clear disadvantages for the use in the food industry or food processing industry.
It is an objective of the present invention to provide a sealing profile for a connection member, in particular a cross-clamp, being hygienically designed and usable in a plant of the food industry or food processing industry. Main aspects are a simple possibility of cleaning, the protection of the product regarding contamination, and the prevention of the accumulation of dirt, microorganisms, insects and other vermin. It is therefore necessary to provide a sealing for a connecting part, in order that this can be used without gaps and further cavities, in which dirt, bacteria or the like can accumulate.